An AI grocery assistant app that helps users pick recipes for the week and build online shopping baskets of the required ingredients has secured partnerships with Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons and hit 100,000 users.
Through an AI chatbot, users of Mealia can input their food goals – such as saving money or eating less meat – as well as the number of servings each meal will need to provide, the number of meals being cooked that week and their budget. Users also share the cooking appliances they have in their kitchens.
Mealia then presents various recipe options, which users swipe right if they like the look of, or left if not. The app then generates a weekly meal plan and builds the basket of ingredients at the user’s chosen supermarket online.
Mealia co-founder and CEO Gabriel Corbett said the app was, for retailers, “the most effective way to win back market share lost to meal kit services” given 77% of its subscribers came from HelloFresh, Gousto and similar providers.
“It gives retailers a way to capture those customers directly and offer the meal kit experience, but delivered through their own channels, with a full product range and better pricing,” he said.
The company has to date secured funding from the Mayor of London through the Poverty Prevention Challenge (the tool was initially aimed at households on extremely tight budgets), Founder Factory, Nesta and Angel Invest.
Its growth to date has been helped by paid social media ads and influencer partnerships, as well as word of mouth.
“People try Mealia, realise it removes the hardest part of grocery shopping – finding the best options when deciding what to eat and buy – and immediately share it with friends and family,” Corbett said.
The rise of AI agents as a tool for consumers to select meals and SKUs gave retailers “the ability to actively shape demand and influence which products end up in baskets at scale”, Corbett said.
“This unlocks significant operational value for retailers,” he added. “It allows them to increase margins by directing demand toward at-risk inventory and eliminating retail waste, improve supply-chain efficiency, and promote healthier, more sustainable diets that align with their ESG targets.
“Ultimately, it gives retailers a practical mechanism to influence consumer choices in ways that are both commercially and socially impactful.”
Corbett said next year would be “a major inflection point” for the company, with plans to boost the headcount – which currently stands at four – and roll out product updates that “push agentic grocery shopping into the mainstream”.
“Our goal is to establish Mealia as the go-to tool for affordable, healthy eating – and to make nutritious, budget-friendly food accessible to every household, not just those who can afford convenience,” he said.
In the first quarter of next year, the company is planning to launch in the US, “with some of the country’s largest retailers on day one” Corbett said.
“It accelerates a future where agentic grocery shopping becomes the default way people buy food,” Corbett added.
The company also plans to establish large-scale partnerships and collaborative campaigns with leading online pharmacies and national health organisations. These will include partners supporting conditions where diet plays a central role – such as weight management, diabetes, cardiovascular health, and nutrition-focused charities.
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